In Others' Words

Monday, October 15, 2007

Big Sisters-Little Sister Fun

I promised Christa that we'd redo her bedroom the summer between kindergarten and first grade.

That would be this past summer.

What did I accomplish? Well, I bought her a new comforter and matching sheets.

Not much of a redo.

And, of course, the purple comforter and sheets didn't match the rest of the room, which was decorated in snowmen.

Christa is my Christmas Eve baby. And I like to collect snowmen. So, it made sense to decorate her room with my extensive collection of snowmen. Of course, I didn't ask then 1-year-old Christa if she wanted to have her room filled to overflowing with dozens and dozens of Frosties. But, about two years ago, she informed me that she was tired, tired, tired of snowmen.

Since then, we've talked about decorating her room--and she's repeatedly changed her mind. One day she wants a butterfly room. Then she wants a horsey room. Or a puppy room. Or dolphins. Or fairies. Finally, I convinced Christa to just pick some colors and not worry about a theme.

She chose pink and purple. Every girl that ever lived at some point in her life had a pink and purple bedroom--or wanted one. I bet Cleopatra had a pink and purple bedroom!! The purple is a nice, deep purple. The pink is . . . well, vivid. Bright. Think Pepto-Bismal. After mixing the paint, the guy at Home Depot opened the can and muttered, "Oh, my, my . . ."

This past weekend was all about getting rid of the snowmen and turning Christa's room into a "big girl's" room. Rob was hunting, so there was no need for regular meals. We could focus on painting and rearranging. (Truth be told, we don't do regular meals when Rob is home.)

Christa's older sisters, Katie Beth and Amy, promised to help out. As far as Christa was concerned, that was the best part of getting a room makeover: her big sisters were involved. She told me the three of them would design the room. I was basically the "walking wallet." That's fine, since I am not the creative one in the family.

We painted. Rearranged furniture. Bought a new rug and a new lamp. Put Christa's collection of stuffed animals up on the shelves where the snowmen used to be.

The room isn't done yet, but Christa went to bed with a huge smile on her face. The best part? Hanging with her sisters. Planning a fun design for one wall with them. Wrestling with them on her bed in her fun pink and purple bedroom. She thanked them over and over again. And I know I couldn't have gotten as much done without all them too.

This past weekend, love was displayed by the hard work of Christa's older sisters as they created a fun room for her. We have some fun memories tucked away in our hearts--and they're all wrapped up in love.

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About Me

I love words. As a writer, I use words to connect with my readers. As an editor, I love to help other writers hit their mark. As a speaker, I talk about real life issues that women and moms face, reminding them that life doesn't have to be perfect to be good.